


Nemeses

by twinsarein



Category: Smallville
Genre: Established Relationship, Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-12
Updated: 2011-01-12
Packaged: 2017-10-14 17:19:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/151636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twinsarein/pseuds/twinsarein
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clark and Lex team up to save Christmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nemeses

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tasabian](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=tasabian).



> Written for tasabian for the 2010 Clexmas exchange

[ ](http://s947.photobucket.com/albums/ad318/twinsarein3/?action=view&current=Nemeses-ctbn60.jpg)

Flying over his city, Superman enjoys the way it sparkles, even with the sun momentarily hidden by some clouds. It makes the city seem more festive and ready for Christmas, tomorrow. He’s been gone for just a day, but it doesn’t take him long to be missing the place where he is known the best.

The clouds finally slide out of the way, and Superman is almost blinded by the glare as the sun shines down. The sight stops him in midair. “What the hell?” Swearing might not be very Superman-like, but there is no one up here with him except the birds.

He doesn’t have to pretend to be the ever confident Superman or the bumbling reporter. He is free to just be him, to be the Clark Kent his parents raised. Maybe they hadn’t raised him to swear, either, but after the things he’s seen the last few years, he considers himself occasionally entitled.

Squinting down, Superman activates his x-ray vision. “Ice?” Four buildings, scattered around the city, are encased in the cold substance. Thickly and entirely encased. Becoming conscious of a heartbeat that he always monitors, Superman extends the scope of his vision. Doing so, his own heart rate speeds up as he sees the person he expected to see, standing in front of one of the ice enclosed buildings. Of course Lex has to be in the middle of the excitement.

Quickly looking at the other affected buildings, Clark can see that the police have cordoned them off, and are keeping the crowds back. One building has had the ice removed from the entry way, and the police are working to clear the entry of a second.

As far as he can tell, no one has been harmed, and there is no panic in the streets. People are acting bewildered, but not scared, around the areas that had been targeted. In other parts of the city, people were going about their business in a normal way.

Swinging back to the first one he’d seen, Clark notices that the police haven’t arrived at it, yet, but that Lex’s two bodyguards, Mercy and Hope, and his limo drive, Doug, are keeping the crowds under control.

While Clark is glad to see his lover, and to know that he’s safe in the midst of whatever is going on, it means that it’s going to make dealing with this situation more difficult. One of the hardest things about having a secret identity is what he and Lex have had to do to protect it.

Clark Kent and Lex Luthor are known lovers, have been since before Superman came on the scene. Once Superman arrived, however, he had to completely disassociate from the people that Clark loved. It had been necessary to protect them, as well as to protect Clark’s private life.

Clark’s parents are easy. They’re strangers to Superman. He makes his home in Metropolis, and they live in Smallville. So, as long as Clark doesn’t give anything away, they are safe. Lois provides her own cover, without even knowing it. It’s all in the different ways she treats Clark and Superman. With Clark, she has, at most, a fond exasperation. Superman, she fawns all over.

Lex has come up with his own way of dealing with the situation. He’s Clark Kent’s loving partner, and Superman’s enemy. Clark wishes he could have thought of something better, but so far, he hasn’t. The hardest thing he’s ever had to do is act as if he hates Lex. He’d fought against it at first; said that Lex Luthor and Superman just didn’t have to interact. There are millions of people in Metropolis that Superman doesn’t connect with, after all.

That had worked until the first time Lex was kidnapped. Clark had gone into a frenzy trying to find him, and Superman did, too. So, when Superman had burst through the kidnappers lair, Lex had sneered at him. Told him that if he couldn’t rescue people without causing property damage, then he’d better leave it to the professionals.

When the reporters had arrived, Lex had gone on and on about the alien menace who’d almost flattened him with a wall while rescuing him. That if Superman hadn’t tried to take the law into his own hands, if he’d just notified the proper authorities, as any responsible citizen would have done, then Lex would still have been rescued, and the city wouldn’t have to pick up the tab for the damaged property.

Shaking off the memories, Clark refocuses on the situation below. After the last couple of years, he’s had some practice doing that quickly. Because every time he knows Superman and Lex are going to interact, he flashes back to that first time, to wishing things could be different.

***********************

Not wanting to waste any more time, Superman hurls himself back into motion. Moving as quickly as he is, Clark doesn’t feel the telltale weakness to his limbs in time to reverse course. The effects aren’t as bad as they have been at other times, so he is at least able to slow himself down enough to land without crashing.

Staggering, Clark forces himself upright against the pain of kryptonite. Across the street, Lex turns and walks across to him, his stride confident and unhesitating, the worry on his face quickly covered up.

Surreptitiously, Clark soaks up the man’s energy and focused attention. Aloud, though, is another story. Clark makes the first sally, so Lex doesn’t have to, for once. “Luthor, I should have known you’d be behind this. It’s just like you to want to ruin the holidays for everyone.”

Affection and concern flashes in Lex’s eyes, and then it’s replaced by a cold stare. “It’s too bad you don’t exercise your brain as much as you do the muscles around your mouth, Superman. Do you see anything I could have used to surround a building with ice?”

Lex looks as mouthwateringly good as he always does, especially when he poses his body, arms out from his side, as if he has nothing to hide. So, with permission granted, Superman looks through the layers of Lex’s clothing, pretending to make an attempt at finding something that could have been used to create such vast amounts of ice. Or, he tries to. The mineral from his home planet cause him problems here, too.

The x-rays don’t activate right away, so Superman looks down a little, and blinks, so when the x-rays come online, he sees an area of Lex’s body he hadn’t meant to, at least not in public. He struggles to contain his blush, but the knowing look Lex gives him tells Clark that he probably failed. Either that, or the man is messing with his head. Both are equally possible scenarios.

While his x-ray vision is working, he scans the rest of the area, looking for anything that could have done this. Trying to look through the building that is encased lets him know where the kryptonite is. Apparently, the mineral has been liquified and put in with the water frozen around the building. “Clever, Luthor. Infusing the water with kryptonite before freezing it, but it won’t work. My heat vision will work when I get far enough away, and then I can melt it all.”

Crossing his arms across his chest, Lex looks at Superman with another sneer. “I already told you, I am not responsible for this. I had just arrived to do some Christmas shopping--”

It’s Superman’s turn to cross his arms over his chest. He keeps the sneer off his face, however, he doesn’t keep it out of his voice. “Christmas shopping? That’s a toy store. Why would you be shopping, here?”

Clark knows why, of course. Lex loves to buy toys for children and give them to those that don’t have a lot. He does it anonymously every month, but even more at Christmas. Superman can’t let on that he knows that, though. Besides, he does what he can to give Lex something to work with and react to. “That hardly matters, Superman. What matters is that you can’t melt it. At least not without planning. The ice is a foot thick on a twenty story building. You’d flood the streets if you melt it all off.”

Feeling suitably chastened by Lex’s excellent point, Clark unfolded his arms from his chest, and let them hang loose by his side. Suddenly, Clark has had enough. At least for now. He just can’t do this today. “Look, Luthor, it’s Christmas Eve. Do you think we can put aside the animosity for one day, and work together to get Christmas back on track for everyone?”

All but holding his breath, Clark waits for Lex’s answer. As always, his lover makes up his mind quickly. “Alright, Superman, because it’s Christmas. We’ll work together, just this once.”

Clark hears the unspoken warning in the last words, and nods his head in response to that as much as to what Lex had actually said. “What do you suggest, then? And, do you know who’s doing it?”

Beckoning across the street to Doug, Lex turns back to look up at the superhero. “Apparently, Mr. Freeze has decided to take a holiday from Gotham, and give Metropolis a try. Considering what he’s laced his water with, he’s been planning it for a while. Batman was already called, but he has his hands full with the Joker and the Toyman. Both are trying to spread their version of holiday cheer. Needless to say, their version does not match up with the rest of Gotham’s citizenry. He is sending something to help us, though. It should arrive soon. I’ll tell you more about it, later.”

Lex’s employee reaches them, and hands Lex a map. Lex takes it, and the man goes back to the crowd he’d been helping to keep back. Lex doesn’t show it to Clark right away, however. “After the first two buildings were frozen about an hour apart, and you didn’t show up, the mayor called me to ask if I had anything in my labs that might help with getting the ice off, or of absorbing the moisture once its melted. It so happens that I have been working on a substance that, with a little work, can be used to absorb a great deal of liquid. Once my scientists apply my suggestions, and work out bugs, if there are any, they’ll get to work synthesizing more. They gave me a time estimate a little while ago, and it should be ready in another hour or two. Meanwhile,”

Stopping, Lex holds out the map, and Clark can see four clearly marked buildings. “I’ve been trying to determine the pattern. We need to decipher where he’ll strike next, so we can keep him from surrounding anymore buildings. So far, they look very random to me; do you notice anything?”

Taking the map, Superman looks it over carefully, then holds it back down for Lex to see it, and points to one of the marked buildings. “If I remember correctly, then this building houses the Salvation Army.” Clark waits for Lex to confirm or deny.

At the nod of the bald head, Clark continues. “Then, yes, I see a pattern. All of these are places where I’ve been asked to speak at a fundraiser this month. I don’t know what order the buildings were hit in, but I did the Salvation Army first, second was the building for Smile Train, the building that housed the UNICEF fundraiser was third, and fourth was the toy store in front of us for Toys for Tots.”

Lex is nodding his head, looking pleased. “It looks as if he isn’t trying to be particularly clever about his order. That is the order in which the buildings were hit. So, where did your other fundraisers take place, and how many have you done?”

Clark can’t believe the excitement and energy he has, now that he’s working with Lex, instead of against him. Everything suddenly seems so much brighter, and it isn’t because of the ice. “I do a lot this time of year. The fifth one was at a food drive at channel five, and the sixth was at the children’s ward at MetGen. There were others, but surely he’ll be caught the next time he shows his face. How much time do you think we have before he strikes again?”

“There’s been about an hour between buildings. It’s an enormous amount of ice, so his suit probably has to recharge. If he stays true to form then we have...” Lex takes a quick look at his watch. “...about thirty-five minutes. Plenty of time to get ready.”

Wishing he had pockets to shove his hands into, Clark rocks back on his feet as he looks across the street to the frozen building. “I just don’t get this, though. From what Batman’s said in the past, Mr. Freeze does the things he does because of his wife. He isn’t evil per se, just frustrated and angry because he can’t help her.”

Lex shakes his head, and Clark knows his partner is thinking he’s naive or too forgiving. He doesn’t say that, however. “If you need an explanation about his motivation, I believe I have one. I heard him mumble something that, in light of what you revealed about the buildings he’s targeted, makes much more sense. It was something along the lines of there being nothing like this for his wife. I would assume that he’s upset no one has a fundraiser for her condition.”

Clark’s heart goes out to a man who must be tormented by his helplessness. “Poor man. I can’t imagine what he’s going through, to have his wife so badly off and having nothing he can do for her.”

That is apparently too much for Lex. Clark can see the moment when Lex takes umbrage with Superman’s sympathy. “Poor Man? What happened to his wife is a tragedy, but that gives him no right to do the things he’s done. Hundred’s of people have been trapped inside each building he’s frozen. It took a rescue crew an hour to cut through the ice covering the doors of the first building. After that, he made the ice even thicker around the exits. His wife’s illness does not give him an excuse for all of that.”

Lex finishes with a huff, and Clark feels himself start to flush. He fights the response, but can tell his cheeks have reddened somewhat. Lex, being Lex, doesn’t miss it; Clark can see a knowing grin start to tilt the other man’s lips up.

After so long together, Lex knows very well how Clark reacts to him getting passionate about a topic. Whether a lecture or being read the riot act doesn’t seem to matter. Clark has the same reaction every time.

Hoping to prevent any snarky comments or sneaky innuendos, Clark turns to face the entry way to the building across the street. It takes a couple of false starts, but Clark finally manages to activate his heat vision, and directs it at the door of the toy store.

Clearing his throat, Clark tries to think of something to take his mind off of his response. They might have agreed to work together this one time, but people would probably suspect something if Superman pulls Lex Luthor in for a kiss on a public street. As Clark, he wouldn’t hesitate. As Superman... Shaking his head, Clark sighs in regret for how things have to be. “So, Lu...Mr. Luthor, do you know why the police aren’t here, yet?”

Watching the ice melt from around the door, Lex canted his head in Clark’s direction. “They’re a little beleaguered at the moment, Superman. Besides their normal patrols, they are cordoning off four other buildings. They’ve managed to get the people out of one, but it still has to be guarded. The other three building still have full complements of men working to free the people trapped in them.”

Looking at the crowd, Lex nods his head to indicate his people. “When we pulled up to the store, Mr. Freeze had almost finished. Mercy and Hope attempted to stop him, but his ice is a very effective weapon. They just barely managed to dodge out of the way of his projectiles. I had Doug call the police, though, and they said they would be here soon. Before you arrived, I’d just been talking to the Police Chief. He and I have worked out a...”

Lex breaks off when Superman suddenly cuts off his heat vision and turns an abrupt one eighty. Superman’s sensitive ears have picked up screams that rend the air from half the city away. Without a second’s hesitation, Clark pushes into the sky. Zeroing in on the clamor, Clark starts to head in that direction. Behind him, though, Lex is shouting at him.

Redirecting his hearing, Clark can hear him clearly. “Damn it! Get back here, Superman. Did you forget the kryptonite in the water? He isn’t hurting anyone, just trapping them. They’ll be alright. I was just starting to tell you there’s a plan, and you’re going to ruin it by playing right into his hands.”

Lex shouts to the sky, at first, but then stops and just talks in a normal, conversational voice. As though Clark was standing right beside him. Lex continues long after most people would have given up. His words pull Clark up short, however, as they were meant to.

Hovering in mid-air, Clark scans the ground. He can see Mr. Freeze, can see the ice shooting into the sky and covering a building. Activating his vision, Clark can tell that Lex is right. No one is actually being hurt; they’re just scared. While that is bad enough, it isn’t enough to ruin any plan that’s already in place.

If it wasn’t for the kryptonite, Clark would just push ahead, and finish Mr. Freezes spree of mayhem. Since that cursed mineral is involved, however, Clark decides to play it smart. As long as they can stop the man before he gets to the hospital. Those kids have been through enough; there is no way Superman will allow them to be terrorized by someone bent on revenge against the world.

Turning back, Clark makes sure to land a safe distance away and walk back to where Lex is talking to a policeman. In Clark’s brief absence, the authorities have arrived, taken over the crowd control, and unpacked a blowtorch. As he watches, it’s turned on, and its being used to finished the job Superman had started.

As Clark reaches the Lex and the Officer, Lex turns to look at him. “It’s good to see you making smart decisions, Superman.”

With a silent nod, Clark acknowledges Lex’s subtle hit. He can practically hear Lex’s unspoken ‘for once.‘ It’s a long-standing disagreement between them. Lex thinks that Clark goes to the rescue too quickly, before learning about whatever is wrong. Clark claims that he can’t wait, or more people wold be hurt or die.

Bravely, the policeman steps into the breach. “Superman! I’m glad you got back in time to help. I don’t think we’re going to be able to bring Mr. Freeze down without you. From what I’ve heard, even The Batman has had trouble with him in the past. We do have a plan in place, though.”

Tearing his angry gaze away from Lex, Clark turns a serious look to the policeman. “I’ll do anything I can to help stop this menace to our city, Officer. Just let me know what you have in mind, and what you want me to do to ensure Mr. Freeze’s speedy capture.”

The policeman gives Superman a smile and nod of respect - the kind of gesture that Clark always feels uncomfortable with. To him, the people in rescue services are much bigger heroes and much more deserving of respect than an alien which little can hurt.

Lex gestures his man over again, and the driver crosses the street, map in hand. Lex fills the police officer in on what is now known of Mr. Freeze’s pattern, and the three of them move more closely together to plan.

***********************************

The plan is a sound one, and with Superman’s presence, the risk to the other involved parties is minimal. Clark still argues against Lex’s participation voraciously, however. He can’t say what he really wants to, unfortunately, not without giving too much away. So, Lex’s shoots all of his objections down with ease, of course, and finally mentions that they’re running out of time.

That, more than anything, quiets Clark down. Everyone wants to stop this man before he gets to the hospital. Clark may not like Lex being a part of it, but he can’t deny the validity of Lex’s reasons to be included, even though he suspects that Lex isn’t being completely straightforward with him.

Sooner than they thought would happen, they get a call saying Mr. Freeze is on the move again, and heading for the hospital. Because he hadn’t taken the full hour between the fourth and fifth hits, there had been some suspicion that the man was taking a longer break than necessary to recharge his suit to throw everyone off, or maybe he was waiting to hear that Superman had shown up so he could have his confrontation before nightfall.

Whatever the reason, Mr. Freeze is heading for his next target a full forty minutes before the hour is up. Clark opens his mouth one more time to try and discourage Lex, but gets his lover’s I’m-doing-this-and-nothing-you-say-will-stop-me look. It’s a look Clark knows intimately, and it has him snapping his mouth closed, without a word being spoken.

The Officer gives them an odd look, but before he can question them, Clark grabs Lex, and takes to the air. Scanning ahead, he spies Mr. Freeze. He’s glad to see that the man is nearing the hospital, but hasn’t reached it, yet. Dropping Lex about a block back, and behind a building, Clark flies around so he’s coming at Mr. Freeze straight on.

If he could only use his full speed, this would be over before it even started. The human body wouldn’t be able to withstand being grabbed at that kind of speed, though, so Clark has to move in more slowly. In spite of what Mr. Freeze has done, everyone just wants to stop him, not harm him.

Unfortunately, coming in more slowly means that Mr. Freeze can spot him, track him, shoot ice at him. Which is exactly what he does when he spots the figure in red and blue bearing down on him.

That’s okay, because it is part of the plan. They only come one per second, and Superman dodges and twirls in the air, as if he is performing an ariel ballet.

The projectiles are harder to dodge than he though they would be, however. The traces of kryptonite in them weaken him if they pass by too closely. A couple graze him, and he drops several meters each time, before regaining control.

The plan is working, though, because Mr. Freeze is so intent on him, that he fails to notice any other threat. Moving quickly, but stealthily, Lex is getting closer by the second.

As he continues to dodge ice missiles, Clark tries to keep an eye on Lex, too, without being obvious about it. His lover looks hot in the skin-tight, black body suit The Batman had sent when he’d learned what was happening. It had arrived just in time, and is one of the primary reasons that Clark finally stopped objecting to Lex’s inclusion. Batman had told Lex how to use it, and Lex refused to share that information.

While he’s watching Lex from the corner of his eye, Superman’s luck finally runs out, and one of the balls of ice slams into his midsection. Doubling over in midair, Clark tumbles to the ground. He tries to stop his plummet, and he thinks he’s going to be as successful as he was earlier, when Mr. Freeze shoots a stream of water that binds Clark’s arms to his body.

He hits the ground with a crack that echoes through the deserted street, and this time, he does leave a small crater. The kryptonite really is diluted, because he doesn’t feel the usual pain, but he is weak. He struggles to flex his arms and break the ice binding him, but as Mr. Freeze bears down on him, he is unsuccessful.

Lex is almost in position, and Clark makes sure to keep his eyes strictly on the menace stalking towards him. As Lex raises his arm, though, Mr. Freeze whirls around and fires a stream of ice water at him.

Throwing himself into a summersault, Lex barely manages to dodge. In fact, some of the ice water hits him, but it just sizzles and turns to steam. Clark, who’d been trying to rise to help his partner, sighs in relief. The suit works.

One of his big arguments against Lex joining them, is that they hadn’t had a chance to test it before Mr. Freeze made his move. He just hope his doubts don’t get back to Bruce. The man would eviscerate him thinking that something he’d developed might not work perfectly.

It looks as though Lex’s workouts with Mercy and Hope have really paid off. For Clark, time seems to slow down as he watches Lex continuing to effectively dodge most of the shots, and the suit continues to evaporate the few he can’t avoid. Mr. Freeze begins to growl, his projectiles becoming more erratic, as he stops trying to aim, and just fires off as many shots as possible.

Knowing that Lex’s luck will run out eventually, just as his had, Superman finally gets to his feet. Drawing on all of his experience at dealing with this mineral in the past, Clark puts the weakness aside as best he can, and starts running at their adversary.

Not trying to be stealthy about it, Superman yells as he runs, and Mr. Freeze turns towards him with a jerk. Just before Clark crashes into him, Lex’s hand comes up again, revealing a taser in his grip.

Clark skids to a stop just as Lex shoots, the taser ends hitting Mr. Freezes suit and short-circuiting it. Their common enemy slumps to the ground, unconscious. After that, time speeds up again, as the police move in to take care of the criminal, stripping him of his suit, checking to make sure he is just unconscious, and then putting him in precautionary cuffs.

Looking at the scene in satisfaction, mostly at knowing the children in the hospital are safe, Clark senses movement behind him. He turns to see Lex walking, almost gliding towards him, that suit accentuating his slim, athletic build. Clark can feels his pupils expanding at the sight, and he reaches for his lover, forgetting they’re in public, forgetting he’s in his suit, forgetting that his arms are still trapped.

Giving a soft growl of frustration when his arms can’t move, Clark can only watch helplessly as Lex moves closer. Lex’s eyes are warm and knowing as he gets closes the gap between them, but when he uses the suit to melt Superman’s bindings, he takes a quick step back, eyes going cold when Clark starts to reach for him again. “It was interesting working with you, Superman, although it would have been helpful if you’d followed the plan better. Perhaps then you wouldn’t have needed rescuing. In case you need help cluing in, out Christmas truce is over.”

Only long practice keeps Clark’s expression under control, so he doesn’t give away his disappointment. He had really enjoyed working with Lex. Instead, he let his own eyes go cold. “I’ll grant you interesting, Luthor. Although, if you hadn’t selfishly hoarded information, as you always do, and let me wear the suit, then perhaps taking down Mr. Freeze could have gone much more swiftly. And in case you need cluing in, I don’t have a problem with our truce being over.”

Swiftly, they both turn their back to the other and walk away. After a few steps, Clark takes to the air. He wants nothing more than to get home so he can take Lex in his arms, but there is still some cleanup to help with. Lex wouldn’t be there, anyway. He’ll still want to help, in his own way, and Clark is sure he’s going to finish his Christmas shopping for the needy children of Metropolis.

******************************

Several hours later, and back in his civilian clothes, Clark walks up to the penthouse. It had been a long afternoon and evening, but all five building are clear of ice, thanks to the chemical supplied by LexCorp Labs. It had done everything that Lex said it would do, and the chemical residue was actually the only thing that had to be cleaned up at the end of it all.

Mr. Freeze is safely behind bars awaiting his trial, and the non-Christmas celebrating members of The Justice League have been notified to keep an eye on Metropolis. Clark is going to take a well-earned day off.

As he rides the elevator to the top floor, Clark listens carefully, and hears Lex moving around in the penthouse. Clark smiles with relief at the thought that his lover is already home. After everything that had happened today, added to the fact that he’d been gone since yesterday, Clark is impatient to see Lex in private.

The elevator doors ping open, and Clark bounds out. “Merry Christmas, Lex.” Spotting his lover quickly, Clark rushes forward and kisses him, pulling the slim body close to his as he does a thorough job of making Lex breathless.

Knowing his partner needs to breathe, Clark reluctantly pulls back, and nuzzles against Lex’s neck, letting his head rest on Lex’s shoulder. “I loved working with you, Lex. It was wonderful to be able to do it publicly, for once. I wish we could do it all the time.”

Lex feathers his fingers through Clark’s hair, and then rests his hand on the nape of Clark’s neck. “I know, Clark. If we lived in a perfect world, perhaps it would be possible. You need a private life though, a way to get away from the heavy burden of being a superhero. You couldn’t do that if you didn’t have a secret identity, one which can’t be discovered.”

Sighing, Clark presses a kiss under Lex’s ear, and then smiling mischievously, he slides a hand down to cup his lover’s ass. “If we’re going to go to all this trouble to make sure I have a private life, shouldn’t we take advantage of it?”

As closely as they’re pressed together, Clark can feel Lex’s length growing against his. “You were so hot in action, Lex. I love watching you move all the time, but in that suit and moving so fast, you were the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. I want you in me. Please?”

"I can't imagine a better way to begin our Christmas celebrations." Stepping back, Lex holds out his hand, and when Clark puts his hand in it, Lex moves backwards, a sultry smile on his face, and heat in his eyes. Clark eagerly allows himself to be led.


End file.
